Taylor Heise

Taylor Anne Fox ( Heise; ; born March 17, 2000) is an American professional ice hockey player who is a forward for the Minnesota Frost of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). A member of the United States women's national ice hockey team, she has won five IIHF medals—three consecutive U18 World Championship gold medals (2016–2018) and two Women's World Championship gold medals (2023, 2025). She was named Tournament MVP at both the 2018 U18 World Championship and the 2022 IIHF Women's World Championship, where she led the tournament with 18 points, the most by any player in nearly 30 years.

Born in Lake City, Minnesota, Heise grew up in a basketball family but began playing hockey in first grade. She attended Red Wing High School, where she was a six-year varsity player. As a senior in 2018, she recorded 74 goals and 30 assists in 29 games, earning the Minnesota Ms. Hockey Award and USA Today High School Sports All-USA Girls Hockey Player of the Year honors.

Early life Born in Lake City, Minnesota, a small town along the Mississippi River in southeastern Minnesota, Heise grew up on a dairy farm outside Lake City with her parents, Amy and Tony Heise, both of whom were former college basketball players at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls. Heise has two younger brothers, Nathan and Ryan, who followed their parents' footsteps into college basketball. "It was a tough few nights, because we live in Timbuktu, where there is no hockey," her father Tony recalled. "We knew if we started hockey, it would be a long road." Heise began skating on the outdoor rink in Lake City, where practices depended on weather conditions and whether someone had shoveled the ice. The decision was emotional for the self-described "homebody." "I will never forget it. Like I cried a few times about it," Heise recalled. "Every time I'd go to USA Hockey camps I'd cry in the car."

Heise joined Red Wing's varsity team as a seventh-grader in the 2012–13 season, recording five goals and nine points on a team led by future Division I players including Nicole Schammel, Paige Haley, and Reagan Haley. The Wingers won three consecutive section championships during Heise's first three seasons (2013, 2014, 2015), and placed third at the Minnesota State Class A Tournament three consecutive years—as a seventh-grader in 2012–13, eighth-grader in 2013–14, and freshman in 2014–15. Heise served as team captain during her junior and senior seasons. At Red Wing High School, Heise was a four-time USA Today American Family Insurance All-USA honoree.

Heise finished her six-year high school career with 216 goals and 370 points, while maintaining a 3.96 grade point average.

During the 2019–20 season in her sophomore year, she recorded 18 goals and 25 assists in 36 games. She ranked third on the team with a career-high 43 points, ranked second on the team with 25 assists, and ranked second on the team and sixth in the WCHA with 168 shots on goal. Following the season she was named to the All-WCHA Third Team. During the 2020–21 season in her junior year, she recorded seven goals and nine assists in a season that was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She ranked second on the team with 74 shots on goal, and third on the team with 16 points.

During the 2021–22 season in her senior year, she led the NCAA in scoring with 66 points on 29 goals and 37 assists in 39 games. She recorded five shorthanded goals, the most in the nation, and third most in a single season in program history. She became the first player in program history to surpass 60 points in a season since Dani Cameranesi. She was named the WCHA Forward of the Month and the HCA National Player of the Month for the month of November. She recorded eight goals and eight assists. She recorded a multi-point game in five of six contests in the month. She scored her second career hat trick on November 12, 2021, in a game against RIT. She was named the WCHA Forward of the Month and HCA Co-National Player of the Month for the month of March. She recorded eight goals and 10 assists in eight games during the month, including five multi-point and two multi-goal games. She became the first Gopher to win the award three times in a single season since its inception in 2016–17. Following an outstanding season, she was named first-team All-WCHA, WCHA Offensive Player of the Year and WCHA Player of the Year. She was also named CCM/AHCA First-Team All-American and won the Patty Kazmaier Award. She led the NCAA in both total points (66) and points per game (1.69), and ranked second in goals (29) and sixth in assists (37).

During the 2022–23 season in her graduate student year, she led the NCAA in goals with 29, and ranked second in points with 65 in 37 games. During the regular season she led the conference in scoring with 19 goals and 51 points in 28 games. She was named HCA National Player of the Month in December and WCHA Forward of the Month in February. Following an outstanding season, she was named first-team All-WCHA and WCHA Forward of the Year for the second consecutive year. She was also named CCM/AHCA First-Team All-American.

Professional Minnesota Frost (2023–present)

On September 18, 2023, Heise was drafted first overall by PWHL Minnesota in the 2023 PWHL Draft, with her name called by tennis legend Billie Jean King, a member of the league's board of directors. On October 26, 2023, she signed a three-year contract with Minnesota. On January 3, 2024, in Minnesota's inaugural game against PWHL Boston in Lowell, Massachusetts, Heise scored the first goal in franchise history unassisted in a 3–2 victory. One week later, on January 10, Heise had a breakout performance with two highlight-reel goals and an assist in a 3–1 win over PWHL Toronto, giving her three goals in her first three professional games. Her first goal came late in the opening period when she rushed the puck down the wing and beat two Toronto defenders before tucking the puck past goaltender Kristen Campbell. During the 2023–24 season, she recorded four goals and nine assists in 19 regular season games, finishing fourth on Minnesota and fifth among rookies in scoring.

In the Walter Cup playoffs, Heise elevated her game significantly. In the semifinal series against top-seeded Toronto, she scored the game-winning goal on the power play at 8:30 of the third period in Game 5, firing a wrist shot from the top of the left circle over Campbell's glove to give Minnesota a 2–1 lead and clinch a spot in the Finals. The goal was Minnesota's second power play marker of the game after they had been 0-for-12 on the power play in the series prior to Game 5. Heise led the playoffs in goals with five and tied for the postseason lead with eight points in ten games played, earning her the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP award.

alt=Heise kisses the Walter Cup in 2025 after winning with the Minnesota Frost. Heise kisses the Walter Cup in 2025 after winning with the Minnesota Frost. Heise entered the 2024–25 PWHL season dealing with a knee injury sustained while practicing for Team USA before the season. The injury limited her ice time early in the season, as she sat seventh among Frost forwards in ice time through the first four games. After meeting with head coach Ken Klee and teammates who encouraged her to shoot more, Heise responded with a two-goal performance against Boston on January 26, 2025, helping Minnesota win 5–2 and end a three-game losing streak. The goal came with four minutes remaining in overtime when she took a pass from Grace Zumwinkle and fired a shot with Brooke McQuigge screening the goaltender.

Entering her third professional season, Heise and the Frost began their pursuit of a third consecutive Walter Cup championship on November 21, 2025. The Frost returned nine players from back-to-back championship teams, including Kendall Coyne Schofield, Kelly Pannek, Lee Stecklein, Grace Zumwinkle, and goaltenders Nicole Hensley and Maddie Rooney. However, the team faced significant roster changes with the departure of key players including Sophie Jaques, Claire Thompson, and Michela Cava to the expansion Vancouver Goldeneyes. Heise struggled to find the back of the net early in the season, going scoreless in her first six games despite recording multiple assists. Heise circled the offensive zone before firing a shot just under the crossbar at 2:57 of overtime, giving the Frost a 2–1 victory before a crowd of 10,264. The goal was her first overtime winner since Game 4 of the 2025 PWHL Playoffs against Toronto. She represented the United States at the 2017 IIHF U18 Women's World Championship, where she recorded one assist in five games and won her second consecutive gold medal. and recorded four goals and four assists for eight points in five games, leading Team USA to a third consecutive gold medal. Following the tournament, she was named the Best Forward, Tournament MVP, and selected to the All-Star Team.

Senior On August 14, 2022, Heise was named to the roster for the United States national team at the 2022 IIHF Women's World Championship in Herning, Denmark, marking her senior national team debut. In her tournament debut against Japan, Heise recorded five assists, announcing her arrival as one of the world's elite players. She scored her first senior international hat trick in a quarterfinal match against Hungary, leading the United States to a 12–1 victory. She was subsequently named the Best Forward, Tournament MVP, and selected to the All-Star Team, while also leading the tournament in goals, assists, and points.

At the 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship in České Budějovice, Czechia, Heise scored a crucial power play goal early in the third period to give the United States a 3–2 lead in the gold medal game against Canada. Although Canada tied the game with five minutes remaining in regulation, Heise set up the overtime winner by intercepting a Canadian pass just inside the offensive blue line and delivering a perfect cross-ice pass to Tessa Janecke at the top of the crease for a backdoor tap-in 17 minutes into overtime, securing a 4–3 victory and Team USA's second consecutive gold medal.

On January 2, 2026, she was named to team USA's roster to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics. In the gold medal game of the 2026 Olympic Games, versus Canada, Heise logged the assist on the game winning goal, a pass that covered 3/4ths the length of the ice as it started under the American goal line and ended near the Canadian blue line.

Personal life Heise is engaged to Parker Fox, a former Minnesota men's basketball player. The couple, who met as students announced their engagement on June 28, 2025. Heise maintains strong connections to her basketball roots despite her hockey career. Her two younger brothers both play college basketball—Nathan at Iowa State (after four seasons at Northern Iowa) and Ryan at Winona State. She regularly attends their games and maintains her own basketball skills, with Fox crediting her with "really good shooting form" and range. She has also served as an instructor at camps run by Hockey4all, including the Hilary Knight camp in Blaine, Minnesota. Heise frequently returns to southeastern Minnesota to work with youth and high school hockey programs, conducting practices and offering instruction to teams including the Dodge County Wildcats. She has cited the importance of giving back to the communities that supported her development, noting that players like Paige Haley, Reagan Haley, and Nicole Schammel returned to help at Red Wing practices during her youth, inspiring her to do the same. Patty Kazmaier Award

WCHA Forward of the Year

Professional Year Honors Ref 2024, 2025 Walter Cup Champion 2024 Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP 2026 PWHL All-First Team

International Year Honors Ref 2018 IIHF U18 Women's World Championship Best Forward IIHF U18 Women's World Championship Most Valuable Player IIHF U18 Women's World Championship Media All-Star Team 2022 IIHF Women's World Championship Best Forward IIHF Women's World Championship Most Valuable Player IIHF Women's World Championship Media All-Star Team